Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer

Posted:
Tuesday, October 1, 2013, 12:46 PM

It wasn't Winston Churchill's Dunkirk speech, but the tone was similar, as Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis spoke up for his embattled troops Tuesday.

"We can and we will" get past Sunday's 52-20 blasting by the Denver Broncos, in which the Denver offense scored 37 points, Davis said. The Eagles' defense is ranked last in the NFL. "Those games are tough to swallow, but you move on from 'em ... right now we're at the stage of four weeks of live football that we've tested the defense in. We are not where we want to be, but believe it or not -- I know the results are not there -- but behind the scenes, I've watched that game probably 10 times now on tape, along with every other game we've played, (and) the fundamentals, the techniques, the understanding, the players playing with each other, it is moving forward.

"The guys know that the daily work, that the techniques -- it'll turn. It'll turn. It hasn't turned yet, it's not where we want it to be, but we'll continue to put our heads down and work. I really believe it will turn."

Davis said his unit has the talent to be effective, once everyone is comfortable and is playing 3-4 techniques instinctively.

"We're taking some punches right now, moving to the other side," Davis said.

Reiterating what Chip Kelly said Monday, Davis told reporters the Eagles' coverages work long to short, meaning they focus on not getting burned deep. He said now that they are confident they can shut down the deep ball this way, they need to "get tighter in our zones" and stop giving up so much underneath.

He said "our tackling is getting better. We're not there yet."

Davis explained that on a first-half series when Brandon Boykin seemed to be playing outside linebacker, Davis initially thought the Broncos were playing with three wideouts, instead of with two tight ends. He quickly realized this wasn't the case, but with Denver playing hurryup, couldn't sub right away.

Earlier, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Eagles receivers have to win more battles in man coverage, including DeSean Jackson.